-Write 1 paragraph on something you learned about writing’s relationship to social change—perhaps using a favorite text as a guide, with the wisdom of hindsight.

A couple texts that especially inspired my understanding of writing and social change were: Anne Boyer’s “The Undying,” Nick Drnaso’s “Sabrina,” and finally Layli Long Soldier’s poem “38” in her collection “Whereas.” Every single one of these works reshaped how I perceived an aspect of society — or more actually, had failed to perceive, previously. In doing so, these works alerted me to the way I understand happenings in society, and how I am often apathetic without realizing it. For example, in “The Undying,” for the first time in my life I realized how the cancer survivor is always the Other — the mother, sister, lover, etc. Never is the person affected the center of the story, and in that, an inherent injustice is committed against the pain and suffering of the affected individual. Especially being someone who wants to pursue a career in health, I was both astonished and disappointed in myself for my failure to realize this earlier. “Sabrina” juxtaposed the banality of everyday life with the horror of senseless violence, presenting society’s reconciliation of these cosmically different entities through their exposition in media. When horrible things happen, rarely is my first thought the aspect of temporality in the lives of the side characters (Sabrina’s boyfriend, her sister, etc.). How they digest what has happened over time, and how that changes them gradually, is never emphasized. Rather, the projected immediate pain of what has transpired is all the mind paid to these side characters. “Sabrina” not only drew my attention to this temporal aspect, but also highlighted the devastating effect of social media and online anonymity on the grief processes of horrible occurrences in the modern day. Again, Drnaso made me rethink what I had originally not even thought to think about. Finally, the poem “38” touched me in a way that stimulated feelings of both shame and determination. On one hand, I grew up learning about the crimes committed against the Native Americans for the entirety of my education — however, indigenous people were always portrayed as victims, those reeling from the blow of ignorant white men. Never were they depicted as layered individuals whose actions could serve as deliberate poetry, whose experiences not only created great pain but also engendered profundity. Again, the poem exposed a layer of my ignorance to things so obvious they should have been ringing in my mind at the slightest prompting — but somehow escaped even the slightest notice. My experiences with these three outstanding pieces have led me to the understanding that writing allows the author to draw attention to aspects of social change that may seem obviously necessary, but nonetheless are met with apathy or unknowing. 

-Write 1 question you have about writing and social change that emerges from your work in the course.

What is the most common form of writing that authors discussing social change have used? Why? Is that form actually the most effective, or the most easy, or the most palatable?

A Defense of My Final Project:

The queer voice today is louder than it ever has been. Pride flags proudly hang outside establishments and billow strongly in the forceful wind, influential institutions like our very own university encourage the use of introducing oneself with their preferred pronouns, and legislation passed in the past few years has allowed queer people to share the same rights as their heterosexual peers than ever before. However, transgender women are still being murdered at an alarming rate, the current adminisitration has created laws that actively discriminate against LGBTQ+ citizens, and schools are firmly silencing its queer students. Because of these reasons, and many more, my final project is an absolutely necessary testament of the queer voice that many have attempted to squash under the boot of institutional protection. This project proves that though many have tried to silence us, we still scream for justice, for representation, and for equality. 

Over the course of this class, I have realized that there are plenty of different ways to write about social change. From manifestos, to letters, to memoirs, and even memes, these different mediums allow for different perspectives and experiences to shine through. Through this course, I have seen how meaning can be expressed in more ways than just language. Layli Long Soldier’s WHEREAS and Nick Drnaso’s Sabrina made this quite clear to me, as they both relied on formatting and the purposeful lack of language to express their respective points. A question that still lurks in my head is how exactly I can incorporate this lack of language and formatting into my own work in order to express my point. Can I make a point about social change that does not inherently rely on language? 

Process Notes: I know these two paragraphs don’t really go together, but I wanted to write the first one as a possible introduction to my project, and the second paragraph responds to the prompt for this week’s assignment. I wanted to include some poetic elements and imagery in my first paragraph as poetry is a form of literary expression that I love. I would be open to feedback if this doesn’t particularly work here, or ways in which I can connect these two paragraphs. Also, I plan to title my final project, I’m just not sure what it is yet.